Sheet packaging material for producing sealed packages of pourable food products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10384825-B2
Application number	US-201815988776-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2018
Priority date	Aug 17, 2009
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

A sheet packaging material includes fold lines along which the sheet packaging material is foldable to form a sealed package containing a pourable food product. The packaging material comprises at least one base layer that imparts stiffness, at least one lamination layer applied to and covering the base layer; and a removable portion which, in use, is partly detachable from a remainder of the sheet packaging material and foldable at a folding zone to free a pour opening by which to pour the food product from the package. The removable portion comprises at least one aperture formed at least in the base layer and covered by a cover material, and the removable portion is crossed by one of the fold lines defining in use an edge between two walls of the package.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sheet packaging material having a number of fold lines along which the sheet packaging material is foldable to form a sealed package that includes a top wall and a front wall, that contains a pourable food product and that is provided with a cutting device to create an opening in the sealed package by which to pour the food product from the sealed package, the sheet packaging material comprising:
at least one base layer that imparts stiffness;
at least one lamination layer applied to and covering the base layer;
a removable portion crossed by one of the fold lines which defines, in use, an edge between two walls of the package;
the removable portion being a prelaminated opening comprising an aperture formed in the base layer so that the removable portion is devoid of the base layer, the aperture in the base layer being completely covered by a cover material;
the removable portion devoid of the base layer comprising a first region on one side of the one fold line and a second region on an opposite side of the one fold line; and
the first region of the removable portion, during use of the sealed package, being partly detachable from a remainder of the sheet packaging material through operation of the cutting device and being foldable toward the front wall and relative to the second region about the one fold line constituting a hinge axis to free a pour opening by which to pour the food product from the package.

2. A packaging material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first region is larger than the second region.

3. A sealed package, for pourable food products, formed by folding and sealing a packaging material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the two walls are a top wall and a lateral or front wall of the package.

4. A sealed package as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the first region is on the top wall of the package and the second region is on the lateral or front wall of the package.

5. A sealed package for pourable food product, the sealed package being fabricated from sheet packaging material comprising at least one base layer that imparts stiffness, at least one lamination layer applied to and covering the base layer, and a removable portion which, in use, is partly detachable from adjacent packaging material at a periphery of the removable portion, the sealed package comprising:
top and bottom walls at opposite ends of the package, and a plurality of lateral walls extending between the top and bottom walls, one of the lateral walls constituting a front wall of the package, the top wall intersecting the front wall at an edge;
a cutting device mounted on the top wall and the front wall of the sealed package;
the removable portion being a prelaminated opening comprising an aperture formed at least in the base layer so that the removable portion is devoid of the base layer before the removable portion is partly detached from the remainder of the sheet packaging material, the aperture formed at least in the base layer being completely covered by a cover material;
a first part of the aperture covered by the cover material being positioned on the top wall and a second part of the aperture covered by the cover material being located on the front wall, the edge at which the top wall intersects the front wall separating the first and second parts of the aperture;
the first part of the aperture being located in a first part of the removable portion and the second part of the aperture being located in a second part of the removable portion; and
the cutting device including a cutting edge positioned and configured to interact with the periphery of the first part of the removable portion to detach the first part of the removable portion from the adjacent packaging material so that the detached first part of the removable portion is folded toward the front wall and relative to the second part of the removable portion about a hinge axis to free a pour opening by which to pour the food product from the sealed package.

6. The sealed package as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the edge at which the top wall intersects the front wall is the hinge axis.

7. The sealed package as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the aperture is circular or elliptical and wherein the edge at which the top wall intersects the front wall defines a chord of the removable portion, a distance from a center of the removable portion to the chord, measured perpendicularly to the chord, is 50 to 85 percent of the distance from the center to the periphery of the removable portion, measured perpendicular to the chord from the center and intersecting the chord.

Assignees

• Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance

Inventors

• Benkö Gabor
• Sorbara Angelo
• Casale Cristiano
• Marchetti Marco
• Heinonen Sebastian
• Didonna Domenico
• Cavecchia Tiziana
• Casarini Claudio

Classifications

• B65D5/748 Primary

  a major part of the container wall or membrane being left inside the container after the opening · CPC title

• B65D5/064 Primary

  Rectangular containers having a body with gusset-flaps folded outwardly or adhered to the side or the top of the container · CPC title

• B65D85/80

  for milk · CPC title

• B65D5/4266

  Folding lines, score lines, crease lines · CPC title

• B65D5/727

  Dispensing openings provided in the upper end-walls of tubular containers, the openings being closed by means of separate stopper or other closure elements · CPC title